Seedy K’s Peerless Pigskin Prognostications: Week III
The kid was one Michigan stop away from a perfect week.
If the Wolverines had knocked off Oklahoma and leveled their record at 1-1 Saturday, it would have been a perfecto. Instead, Brent Venables once again served as the example that a great coordinator does not automatically become a great CEO. The $10.5 million man with the $50 mill buyout before 2031 came out on the wrong end of it, and Boomer Sooner Busted.
Even so, the week was still a strong one. Pittsburgh, Boise State, Texas, Indiana, Alabama and Louisville all came through, just as forecast. That left the line at 6-1 for the week and 14-7 on the season.
CoachSpeak of the Week: A school without football is in danger of deteriorating into a medieval study hall. - Frank Leahy
This week’s picks start in Oxford, where Louisiana State visits Mississippi in a game with more edge than your standard Saturday night. The source of the tension runs deeper than the current Kiffin situation; this rivalry has been loaded for decades, going back at least to Halloween night in 1959, when both teams were undefeated and ranked at the top of the polls.
Paul Dietzel’s LSU defense, the “Chinese Bandits,” was part of that night’s backdrop, and Billy Cannon finished the job with an 89 yard punt return for the only touchdown. Saturday night figures to carry plenty of that old heat.
The OxfordTown Police Dept. has called in reinforcements, and guards are expected at Rowan Oak and The Grove. On the field, LSU is the better team, but spurned lovers can play with extra fire.
Still, the pick is Ole Miss.
Houston heads to Texas Tech in a matchup that comes with an odd little early-season wrinkle: both teams have already seen Oregon State. The Red Raiders beat the Beavers by a dozen in Corvallis, while Houston handled them at home by a Baker’s Dozen.
The Cougars were even described as a CFP team earlier, and Willie Fritz gets the nod here. Upset Alert.
Houston.
North Carolina at Clemson is the kind of ACC game that gives you a lot to chew on. Coach Curmudgeon Chapel Bill Belichick took a hard look at his first season’s faceplant on Tobacco Road and made changes, while the coach on the other sideline has doubled down on his own approach.
There’s also the Tar Heel OC, whose grudge from a could woulda shoulda loss still lingers. Even with all that, the pick lands on North Carolina.
Florida visits Auburn, and this one has the feel of a test for the Gators. Under new coach Jon Sumrall, Florida has rolled through an easy start, beating Owls and Camels by a combined 118-24, but this trip to Jordan Hare is a different animal.
Auburn is also 2-0, and the Tigers have done it against stiffer opposition. Sumrall and his G6ish staff are expected to have Florida on the right path eventually, but not in front of 88,000 on a Saturday night with ESPN in the building.
Auburn gets the call.
Indiana takes on Western Ky, and the Hoosiers are about to have a stretch that looks more manageable than revealing. After this one, their next three league opponents are Northwestern, Rutgers and Nebraska.
The Toppers get the money, but they also hope to leave with their heads intact. Indiana.
Kentucky travels to Texas A&M, where the noise should be the first thing that hits Will Stein. The 12th Man is loud, and this will be a different kind of SEC environment than a home game. Kenny Minchey gets introduced to the “freak daddies,” and A&M is the pick.
Southern Methodist heads to Louisville in what should feel like an air show at Bowman Field. Kevin Jennings and Lincoln Kienholz are the top two Total Offense players in the land, both putting up 300 passing yards per game and connecting from 60-plus.
Louisville’s receiving group of Richardson, Hurry and McCoy could use a nickname of its own, maybe “The Constellation Corps.” The Cardinals are 0fer against SMU all time, but Jeff Brohm summed up the matchup with his own coachspeak: “Got a great opponent coming in here in SMU that we have not beat since we’ve played them.”
Saturday should finally change that. Louisville.
In Other News...
Louisville Faces Its Toughest ACC Test Yet Against SMU's Explosive Offense
No. 23 Louisville is set to host No. 16 SMU in what shapes up as one of the ACCs most compelling games of the week, with both teams bringing productive offenses and a clear eye toward the league race. The matchup also puts a spotlight on the quarterbacks, with Louisvilles Lincoln Kienholz and SMUs Kevin Jennings both ranking among the national leaders in yards per completion, a sign that big plays could be part of the script from the opening series.
Louisvilles latest availability picture adds another layer to the buildup, since the Cardinals are still sorting through recent performance concerns and injury updates while trying to keep pace with an SMU team that has looked explosive all season. There is also an eligibility wrinkle around linebacker Kalib Perry that could matter down the line, and on the other sideline SMUs roster situation has its own off-field complication, leaving both teams with a little more to monitor than just the scoreboard. [Read more 🡒]
Jeff Brohm Faces A Louisville Question He Needs To Answer Saturday
Saturdays matchup with No. 16 SMU brings more than just another conference test to Louisville. It also puts Jeff Brohm back in front of a program that has given him trouble before, and the setting only sharpens the edge. The Cardinals get the Mustangs at home, with a chance to make a statement in a game that already carries plenty of weight for a coach whose best teams have often been judged by how they handled ranked opponents.
Brohms track record against Top 25 teams has been a mixed one across his stops at Louisville, Purdue and Western Kentucky, with some notable wins mixed in with frustrating setbacks. That history is part of what makes this week feel bigger than a single matchup, because it is not just about one Saturday in the schedule. It is about whether Louisville can finally change the feel of a series and, in the process, answer a question that has followed Brohm whenever an elite opponent is on the other sideline. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville Faces An Early ACC Test That Could Change Everything
Week 3 brings Louisville a conference game with real early weight, the kind that can shape how the rest of the ACC race is viewed before autumn is fully underway. ESPN analyst Rece Davis put a spotlight on the Cardinals meeting with SMU, pointing to a matchup that already has the feel of something bigger than a mid-September date on the schedule.
The reason is simple enough: both quarterbacks have been producing at a high level, with Kevin Jennings and Lincoln Kienholz among the national leaders in total offense. Louisville has plenty to sort out on its own end, but the winner in this one will leave with more than a conference result. It will also carry the kind of early claim that tends to matter when the conversation turns toward Miami and the leagues most credible challengers. [Read more 🡒]